A berserk passenger aboard an American Airlines flight reportedly tried to take a bite out of a flight attendant before leaping headlong out of the plane.

The plane was pushing back from the gate at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. The pilot had switched on the fasten seatbelts sign when a passenger sprang from his seat and tried to pry open the main aircraft door. He landed on the tarmac and sprinted away

The New York Post, citing an affidavit from an air marshal quoted in a US federal complaint, identified the passenger as Tun Lon Sein. It said he spoke little or no English and had just arrived on an international flight into Newark, New Jersey, from whence he flew to Charlotte. His nationality was not disclosed.

Tun Lon Sein. Photo by Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office

The biting, or attempted biting, happened while a flight attendant and two passengers tried to stop Sein and return him to his seat, the paper said. Sein then ran down the aisle, found the galley service door, opened it and leapt onto the tarmac, the complaint states.

Airport workers gave chase and managed to stop Sein reaching the active taxiway. He was taken to the airport terminal, then to a medical centre for treatment, where he was arrested.

Sein has been charged with interfering with flight crew and attendants. He appeared in North Carolina federal court Friday. He was remanded in custody after the court could not find an interpreter who spoke Karen, a language spoken in Burma.